Check-controlled clock alarm



Dec. 18, 1951 R L NOR VELLE 2,579,009

CHECK-CONTROLLED GLOCK ALARM Filed Dec. 5, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 I I I 4 o 'r o VELLE R EVER L N RINVENT0R.-

ATTORNEY Dec. 18, 1951 R. L. NOR VELLE CHECK-CONTROLLED CLOCK ALARM Filed Dec. 5, 1947 mum P W Patented Dec. 18, 1951 CHECK-CONTROLLED CLOCK ALARM Robert L. Nor Velle, Las Vegas, Nev., assignor, by

direct and mesne assignments, to Dime-A- Wake, Inc., a corporation of Nevada Application December 5, 1947, Serial No. 789,990

7 Claims.

This invention relates generally to check-controlled clocks and more particularly to an alarm clock having a check-controlled alarm.

Check-controlled means for permitting the winding of the time spring of a clock are well known in the art and are generally applied to toy savings banks for use in the home to encourage thrift by requiring the deposit of a coin before the clock time spring may be wound. Obviously, under such conditions, the running of the clock is haphazard and irregular depending upon the thrift habits of the owner'and the normal function of the clock and its check-controlled means is subordinated to its function as a savings bank.

Where such clocks have been used commercially, as in hotel room, etc. installations, they are subject to the serious disadvantage that they must be set to the right time in all cases where the preceding room occupant has failed to use the clock resulting in its becoming rundown. This setting is inconvenient and annoying, particularly where the new occupant does not possess his own time piece and must refer to a clock in the lobby, etc.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide an improved check-controlled alarm clock which will not only obviate the aforementioned disadvantages of known check-controlled clocks but which will permit the normal and regular functioning of the clock so as to be an asset rather than an irritant where installed while still providing a source of income for the owner.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved check-control for the alarm of a clock, etc.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a combination clock and check-controlled alarm in which the time mechanism functions in a conventional manner while the alarm is subject to the check-control.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide an alarm clock in which a coin must be deposited before the alarm releasing mechanism can be actuated to permit the alarm to sound at the desired time.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an alarm clock in which the mechanism for setting or shutting off the alarm is locked in the alarm "ofi position and is only releasable therefrom by the deposit of a coin in the clock.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel check-control for alarm clocks which functions to lock the alarm setting mechanism 2 in off position while permitting its release upon the deposit of a coin.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a case for a combination clock and check-controlled alarm from which only two controlling members project, one for setting the time to which the alarm is to be sounded, and the other for setting the alarm mechanism in on or off position, the time spring being available for winding purposes exteriorly of the casing upon the use of a special key therefor to permit only the owner thereof to wind the clock.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a readily removable case for a combination clock and check-controlled alarm which case may be removed by the owner upon insertion of a special tool in order to gain access to the coins deposited within the clock or to the mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing, I have shown one embodiment of the invention in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the invention including its casing and dial;

Figure 2 is a front elevation to an enlarged scale of the combination clock and check-controlled alarm with the casing removed;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the invention taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view to an enlarged scale of the check-control for the alarm setting or releasing means;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional .view thereof taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure '7 is a horizontal sectional View thereof taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2; and

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of the alarm releasing pin taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Referring to the drawings, numeral ill designates the base of a clock case which is adapted to be secured to a wall surface, etc. by means of screws l l, the heads of these screws being accessible only from within the interior of the clock case. The upper portion of the base In is provided with a rigid curved flange l2 which cooperates with a similarly shaped flange M to act as a disconnectible hinge between the clock base i l3 and the front cover or main case portion IS. The case It is secured at its lower end to the base Ill by means of a special headed screw (8 which engages an interiorly threaded boss 20 3 fixed to the lower end of the base It. Thus, the clock case It may only be removed from its base I t by an authorized person having a special tool, such as a key having a pyramidal shape for engagement with the pyramidal-shaped recess in the head of the screw 18.

The face of the case it is provided with a numbered dial 922 having the usual transparent face 26, preferably of an unbreakable material. An alarm setting hand 26 is mounted on the same axis as the hour and minute hands 2'! and 28, although it is immaterial, for the'purp'os'e's' of the present invention if the hand 25 is mounted for rotation about a separate numbered dial elsewhere on the main dial 22;

The alarm control hand 2'6 is set at any de-' sired time by means of a knurled 'control member 36 which projects laterally from the case 56 and is detachably mounted on a shaft 3| which con"- trols the movement of analarm control finger 32 which moves out'o'f thewa'y'of'a' second finger 33 fixed to the bell clapper 34 to release the" alarm train at the desired time. A knurled control member 36 for setting the alarm mechanism in on or off position projects' f-rom the opposite side of the case and its use will be subsequently described in detail.

The top of the case I 6" (Fi g'ures- 2 and 3) is provided with an aperture 3'! having an inwardly projecting collar or guide 38 f'or'the reception of a key to be inserted therethrough for the purpose-of winding th'e'time spring. A slotted coin or a check receivingo'u-ter chute 45! is mounted on'the' upper end" of the casing ad-- j'aeent the key aperture it? and comprises an upstanding portion within which-is received a short downward extension M" thereof which serves to direct coins or checks't o a separatemain'coin receiving chute 42. 1

The' clockimechanism supporting framegenerally indicated at 44 is mounted on the clock base lu. The clock mechanismm'ay be of any conventional type and i in the present disclosure has been slightlym'odified to 'perrnit the adjustment of the alarm setting hand zt and the alarm setting shaft from the side ratherthan from-the rear-of the" clock 'case.-- Such modi'fication is readily accor'nplished'b'y the use of a spur gear 45'mounted at the right end (Figure 2) of the shaft 3! for engagementwith the gear of the alarm train. Similarly the knurled control member 35 is arranged to be moved outwardly from" the case so asto move'apin out of engagement with the teeth of the gear 46-to permit its rotation as will be described. The

winding: shaft is provided with a beveled gear'l3 meshing with a gear 55 which is fixed to a ver-' tical stub shaft I! having, a key socket I9 for the reception-of a time winding key inserted through the aperture -31. i

A highly important feature of the present invention resides in the check or coin control for'the clock alarm.- Suitably mounted-on" the clock mechanism frameM is the-main coin chute z'which is offset as at 55 to form a coin receiving shoulder. The knurled control member 3% is detachably secured to a vertically slotted slide 52 supported by the'shoulder G,.the chute d2 being widened at this point to accommodate the slide.

The inner end of the slide 52 (Figure 4) is provided with a shoulder 5'4 for a purpose to be described, and a longitudinal slot 55 formed in the slide receives a pin 55' fixed to the clock mechanism frame 44 to limit the movement Q 4 the slide. A flat bar 58 (Figures 7 and 8) is fixed to the side of the slide 52 and projects through a slot 59 in the side of the coin chute 42 so that movement of the slide 52 will move the bar 53 into (alarm off position) or out of (alarm on position) engagement with the alarm actuating gear 59. y

A sector-shaped stop 60 is fixed to a' pin 62 (Figures 2 to 7, inclusive) which is pivotally mounted to the side of the main coin receiving chute Q2 and the stop 69 engages the shoulder 5 i'to preventwithdrawal of the slide 52 upon which the bar 58 is mounted. A coin actuable lever M is fixed to the other end of the pin '52 and is adapted to swing through a vertically disposed slot Gifornied in the side of the chute 42. The stop Wand the lever 6 are angularly displaced upon each other with respect to the pin 62 and the stop being materially heavier than the lever, the latter is swung through the slot 55 into the coin-chute '42fas shownwhen the stop is-in its at rest' position.

It will nowbe readilyapparent that a coin G inserted inthe slot of the outer chute"-l0 will drop downwardly into the chute Q2 will swing the lever it aside and come to rest in th e slot of the slide harm the shoulder 56.- It will be noted that the stop 69 engages the shoulder it so 'as'to prevent withdrawal of the'slidebut upon the swinging of the lever 5d eifected-iiy' the weight and presence of the coin, thestop $8 is also'..-swung-outwardly towithdraw it from the path of the shoulder. It will be" further noted that; the outer end of the slot in the" slide "52 is inclined upwardl'yso as to act asa stop or positioner for the coin. inserted in the chute in the event that it should for any reason not come to rest upon or roll from the edge of the offset shoulder 50.

At this time the knurled control membei camay be pulled outwardly from the clock case IE to move-the coin Goff the shoulder tarmm the lower end of the chute 4-2 which is angled forward as at 68 to deposit the coin in a suit ablerec'eptacle l0. The outward motion of the ide 52'withdraws the bar 59 from its engage mentwith the alarm'actuating' gear 59*so that" at the hour indicated bythe hand t't the alarm is permitted to ring.

Whenthecontrol knob 36 is pushed'inu ardly tothe full exten'tjthe stop 60 will swing bygravity-to its rest position against the shoulder 54 to prevent the slide from again being'moved outwardl-y "-until another coin is deposited; The end. of the-slide adjacent the shoulder 54 is tapered so as to facilitate the inward movement thereof with respect to thestop fi l It will thus be seen that a coin mustbe de' spring by a chambermaideetm by" means of a" key inserted through the guide 38- at the" top of the clock. 7 The special tcol required to-"-re move the screw l8 ensuresthat only authorized personsshall have access to the interiorof the clockcase for the removal of the coins, etc.

The clock case It is readily removable from: its base l8. This is accomplished by firstfre moving the control knobs 3 9 and d3 andseco'ndlw' rem'ovingfithe-screw I8" by meansofa special? tool previously described- The case 16 is then swung about the flanged hinge members 12 and M to a point at which they may be separated to complete the detaching of the case I6. In order to relocate the case in position, the foregoing described steps are reversed.

All references to the setting of the alarm to off position are intended to describe that position where the slide 52 is at its inner limit of movement where the bar 58 will engage the teeth of the alarm actuating wheel 59 to prevent the sounding of the alarm. On position refers to that position where the slide 52 is at its outer limit of movement (permitted only after the deposit of the coin in the chute) so that the bar 58 is withdrawn from the teeth of the wheel 59 so that the latter is free to actuate the escapement mechanism forming a part of the upper end of the clapper 34.

It will now be readily apparent that the present invention provides a novel combination of a clock and a check controlled alarm therefor which is particularly suitable for commercial application inasmuch as it may be installed wherever desired, wound daily by a conventional clock key, have its alarm used by transients as desired upon the deposit of the required coin, and be readily serviceable but free from tampering by unauthorized persons. The clock case has been designed so as to avoid flat dust collecting surfaces, and a substantial portion of the front face of the cover I6 is available for the reception of advertising matter to be displayed thereupon.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and at various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms comprising a supporting casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to on position, a stop preventing movement of said slide in the alarm off position, and means operable by each coin deposited in said chute and arrested on said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide.

2. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms comprising a supporting casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to on position, a stop preventing movement of said slide in the alarm ofi position, means operable by a coin deposited in said chute and arrested in the slot of said slide by said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide, and a bar fixed to said slide and obstructing operation of said alarm mechanism when the slide is in alarm off position.

3. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms comprising a supporting casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to one position, a

stop preventing movement of said slide on the alarm ofl position, and means operable by each coin deposited in said chute and arrested on said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide, said means comprisin a pivotally mounted pinsupporting said stop at one of its ends and a trip lever at its other end, said lever projecting within said chute and being operable by the presence of a coin on said shoulder to swing said stop away from said slide.

4. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms comprising a supporting casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to on position, a stop preventing movement of said slide in the alarm oif position, means operable by each coin deposited in said chute and arrested on said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide, and a coin receptacle mounted in the base of said casing in alignment with said chute, said slide being effective to deliver coins from said shoulder to said receptacle upon movement of said slide.

5. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms comprising a supportin casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to on position, a stop preventing movement of said slide in the alarm off position, and means operable by each coin deposited in said chute and arrested on said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide, said shoulder preventing passage of each coin through said chute and said slide until said slide is moved to alarm on position.

6. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms comprising a supporting casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to on position, a stop preventing movement of said slide in the alarm off position, and means operable by each coin deposited in said chute and arrested in the slot of said slide by said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide, said means comprising a horizontally pivoted pin supporting said stop at one of its ends and a trip lever at its other end, said lever being angularly displaced with respect to said stop about the axis of said pin whereby the weight of the stop swings the lever into said chute to be engaged by said coin to swing it back and remove said stop from contact with said slide.

7. A check control for clocks including alarm and normally operable time mechanisms, comprising a supporting casing, a coin chute including a coin arresting shoulder positioned adjacent the alarm mechanism, a slotted slide mounted on said shoulder and projecting through said chute and operable to set the alarm to on position, a stop preventingvmovement of said slide in the alarm off position, and means operable by each coin deposited in said chute and arrested on said shoulder for moving said stop out of the path of said slide, said means comprising a pivot pin mounted parallel to the movement of said slide and supporting said stop at one of its ends and a trip lever at its other end, said lever projecting r withinisaidchute;andeheingkoperable by ;the pres- -,e,nce-;of :thel .coin .on,qsaickshoulder to'zswingmsaid stop away; f-romJsaidz s1ide;;said stop, being larger and stronger -than' saiditr' igger and when in oper- .ative position=braeed byV-the side of said chute to 5 prevent. movement, of said slide. 1

-. ROBERT L.-NOR VELLE.

REFERENCES .CITED The following:referencesrareofxrecord in the 10 Number I 627,72?

11. 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS "'.Na,me Date I1 Ferland June'27, 1899 Work Apr.11, 1905 Krause et a1 July 18, 1905 Teachout Apr. 29, 1913 Wright Jan. 16, 1917 Simon etial. Jan. 3, 1928 "Warren Apr. '7, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Number Great Britain v 01191]. 

